I'm a little sad that this will be my first year in a long time that I can't afford to go. The Superbowl is being played just before at the Superdome. Hotels are way more expensive than normal for Mardi Gras. Sad day... I vowed I would never miss it.

huhwhat saidI can't do Mardi Gras in NOLA. It's too much. That place is wilder than 3 Vegas's.

that's because you've been doing it in the wrong part of town. the secret to a livable mardi gras is finding friends who actually LIVE here and doing it with them. I call this approach "Familia Gras". Its still a riot but its a slower riot with more talking and just an all-around fun time. I'm guessing you've stuck to downtown, french quarter and canal street for your experiences? If you truly want to enjoy Mardi Gras without the insanity of those locales, you should venture down st. charles avenue into uptown New Orleans and catch the parades there. Fewer tourists and more locals. It looks more like a massive block party as opposed to a rave-themed mob takeover.

huhwhat saidI can't do Mardi Gras in NOLA. It's too much. That place is wilder than 3 Vegas's.

that's because you've been doing it in the wrong part of town. the secret to a livable mardi gras is finding friends who actually LIVE here and doing it with them. I call this approach "Familia Gras". Its still a riot but its a slower riot with more talking and just an all-around fun time. I'm guessing you've stuck to downtown, french quarter and canal street for your experiences? If you truly want to enjoy Mardi Gras without the insanity of those locales, you should venture down st. charles avenue into uptown New Orleans and catch the parades there. Fewer tourists and more locals. It looks more like a massive block party as opposed to a rave-themed mob takeover.

So last time I went, it was me and 3 army buddies. I almost got pulled into an orgy. We tried to pop back one buddy's dislocated shoulder back into place in the middle of the street. Another threw up in a taxi. Another woke up naked in the bathtub and scared the shit out of me in the morning. People kept giving me free drinks. I had the time of my life, but I can't do it like that again. Next time I'm in NOLA I will follow your advice, although I don't know anyone that lives there.